


A Loser Werewolf in Derry

by Honbunbun



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Established Relationship, Fluff, Just random fluffy werewolf bullshit, M/M, No Drama, This shit is real wholesome, Werewolf AU, plot? dont know her, theres no angst here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23211811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honbunbun/pseuds/Honbunbun
Summary: Richie's a werewolf. He kinda sucks at it, though.Thankfully, Eddie's here to help him.*Based off Punkyiggy's Werewolf AU!*
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 30
Kudos: 202





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> This is for Punkyiggy's werewolf AU! And unlike Reap What You Sow--which is an AU/plot Punkyiggy and I built together--this AU is completely Punkyiggy's! This fic is just a gift from me to them because I love them more than anything <3 
> 
> Hope you enjoy :,) Also, bonus points to you if you understand what the title is referencing.

It was when Richie was just three years old that Went and Maggie realized him being a werewolf was going to be a problem. 

Not for any malicious reasons, of course. Hell, even the fact he was one in the first place didn't bother them in the slightest--Obviously, since they were each werewolves themselves. Rather, they realized it was going to be a problem because Richie was, well, _Richie._

They loved that boy to pieces, but that child did not know an ounce of subtlety. 

Werewolves were not savages or mindless beasts like many stories portrayed them to be. Werewolves existed, albeit secretly, among humans just fine. Once they turned about fifteen, they'd be able to fully change into a werewolf under a full moon. And, when they did, they'd be able to control it--whenever they wanted to change into or change out of being a werewolf, they'd be able to do it just fine. The only exception was the nights of the full moon; they went full-wolf whether they wanted to or not.

Regardless, It was easy staying hidden among people. For adult werewolves, anyway. 

Young werewolves need guidance. Most of them, including Richie, can partially shift--just a few moments of pointed teeth, claws, ears, tail--sometimes only a few of things at once, sometimes all of them. But never fully shifted to their werewolf state. Though even partial shifting for just a few moments would be detrimental if seen by somebody else. 

And Richie had to be one of the _worst._

He had no control over his partial shifting. He'd see something he got excited about in public and suddenly he'd have little curious ears poking out of his head. Or he'd have a particularly strong sneeze that resulted in pointed teeth and a tail. And every time, it was all Went could do to throw his jacket over Richie before anyone saw him. 

Needless to say, Richie took some serious teaching. 

Thankfully, despite how he acted most of the time, Richie wasn't stupid. He learned quick. He kept all the wolf-aspects of himself within the walls of the house; he even taught himself how to mostly control his partial shifting by the time he was only seven. 

By the time he was fifteen, he was in complete control. 

All he had to learn to do next was fully shift, and learn to control that. 

Richie was careful--the first full shift could happen any full moon after a werewolf turned fifteen. He kept track of the moon cycles, he planned them out. He even used a calendar for once in his life so he could mark the days he couldn't hang out with Eddie and the others, just to be safe. He'd come up with some bullshit excuse, and his parents always went along with it. 

So for every full moon for the entire year he was fifteen, he stayed home. 

Then he did the same thing the entire year he was sixteen. 

By the time he was nearing eighteen, he was starting to lose faith. 

Another full moon was coming, but Richie wasn't holding his breath this time. 

"I don't think I'm ever going to change." he said at dinner that night--he supposed he wasn't particularly upset or pleased either way. It weirdly felt like he was missing out on something, but at the same time, didn't he really want to have to deal with that? He was already so different. 

"It'll happen," his mom assured. "You're just taking a little bit longer than normal, there's nothing wrong with that." 

"What if it doesn't?" Richie asked, glancing at her. "Does it really matter?" 

"I guess it doesn't," she said, glancing at Went. 

"Just worry about being you. It'll either happen or it won't, it doesn't matter." he said sincerely. a small smile on his face. "Now shut up and eat." 

Richie laughed, but gladly did as he was told. 

Most nights, Richie sat at his window, just staring up at the moon. Waiting. 

Every second would crawl by slower than it should, and Richie would try to convince himself that he felt something changing. But every time, he'd just sit there until the sun came up before he finally let himself accept that it just wasn't happening. 

He was always left with an odd feeling; almost like sadness, but maybe closer to disappointment. He already wasn't human--which, granted, was pretty cool--but then he also wasn't even a normal wolf apparently. He felt lost somewhere in the middle. 

But tonight, it didn't bother him. 

He grabbed his notebook where he had all the moon cycles for the entire year mapped out. He had spent _hours_ at the library reading and writing to get these all down. He just smiled at the little book before tossing it in the trashcan next to his bed. 

He was done with that. He was done waiting and worrying. He was done making up excuses to not see his friends or Eddie. He was simply at ease. 

He had almost drifted to sleep when the clouds parted, and the light of the full moon filled his room like a tidal wave. He groaned against liquid silver--for once in his life he was going to get some sleep at night, and the moon was _still_ determined not to let him do that. 

Lazily, he rolled out of bed and went to tug the curtains closed. He almost didn't notice his nails extending. 

"Oh you must be kidding," he muttered, looking at his hands somewhat frantically; the nails were definitely growing, coming to a point. 

Maybe Richie could've talked himself out of that one; could've lied to himself and told him it was just a partial shift, he was just _tired._ Maybe the moon was playing tricks on him. But then he noticed the fur growing on the back of his hands. That had definitely never happened before.

Quickly, he tugged his shirt off as he rushed to his mirror. The fur was spreading across his chest, his shoulders, his arms. He even kicked off the rest of his clothes to check; as if there were a chance the fur wasn't growing _everywhere_. 

"How typical," he muttered. "Right when I've given up, huh?" 

At least the process wasn't too bad. He had expected it to be worse, but while it still was out of his control, it was pretty mild. His parents always said it wasn't dramatic like the movies, and they apparently seriously meant it.

The process wasn't long either; it only took maybe a minute at most. 

Before he knew it, he was fully shifted. He wasn't as big as he had expected--he'd seen his parents in their wolf forms a few times, and they weren't that big either, but he was just the size of a slightly above average _big ass_ dog. His fur was dark like his hair; thick and curly like it too. 

Very curly, actually. Too curly. 

It took him a moment to notice the tugging feeling all over him. His curls were in hopeless knots, so tight they pulled at his skin. He itched desperately for awhile, but it wasn't doing him any good. Frustrated, he whipped his head to the mirror to see just how bad they were--that's when he noticed his glasses were still stuck to his face. 

This was bad enough already, the last thing he needed was to look like an idiot even as a damn wolf. 

He shook them off, excited to finally be able to see without them--

He could not see without them. 

Maybe he could admit fault for that one. He wasn't sure _why_ he had been under the impression that he wouldn't be as blind as a bat when he was a wolf, literally no one had told him his eyes would be any better. They were still his eyes. _Whoops._

So maybe Richie decided this was a disaster, and he needed his parents right about now. 

He blindly wandered over to the door, relying on pure memory to get him there. He hated every step, his fur was so unbearably uncomfortable. _Okay, the door should be right about--_ he hit his head as he walked right into the door-- _here._

He nudged it with his nose. Nothing happened. He tried again. Still nothing. He pushed on it with all he had before he remembered he had closed his freaking door. 

With a whimper of defeat, he just laid down. 

Richie had managed to fall asleep at one point. 

When he woke up, there was warm sunlight filling his room. He shot up, grasping at himself, smiling when he felt only skin. _Thank. God._

He scrambled to his discarded glasses, blessing human bodies and their thumbs as he picked them up, eagerly putting them on. He let out a sigh as his vision returned to him, leaning against the wall. He couldn't have been happier that it was over. 

At breakfast that morning, he informed his parents that he had finally 'wolfed out'. 

"That's great news!" his mom said excitedly. "How was it?" 

Richie glanced between their eager expressions, smiling. "It was great. Oh, just _great._ My mind has been opened and all that junk," he said, not a trace of sarcasm. Not so surprisingly, he didn't really want to share the details. If they thought it went well, then this conversation would end sooner. 

"Glad to hear it," Went said. "I bet you're looking forward to doing that more often, huh?" 

"Oh, yeah, definitely." 

He never wanted to do that again. 

And for the most part, he gladly didn't. 

Now that he had experienced his first full moon, if he wanted, he could fully shift like that again whenever he wanted. The only time he _had_ to experience that was full moons. Which was roughly about once a month, and he could deal with that. 

Sort of. 

Each night seemed to bring a new disaster. He started keeping his door open in case he needed his parents, but he tried to handle his issues by himself. Or at least wait till morning to tell them. Except for the time he forgot to dress down before the shift. He wasn't sure what he thought would happen if he kept his clothes on, but it's not like they just magically disappeared, and he wasn't a big enough wolf to tear them, so... He just got stuck. 

His parents never let him live that one down. 

Other than that, there was the time he broke his glasses; they had fallen off while he was itching so he tried to nudge them onto his face. Richie did not know his own strength. On a different moon, he knocked over his mirror and broke it because he didn't realize just how much longer his body was as a wolf. He did all kinds of dumb shit; he tore up his sheets in an attempt to crawl onto his bed, he got food _everywhere_ when he tried to eat, he had to spend twenty minutes cleaning the fur off his bed the next morning that he had itched off himself the night previous--needless to say, it was a work in progress. 

It was when he thought maybe he was finally starting to get the hang of this whole arrangement that Eddie made things difficult. 

"Hang out tonight?" he asked, leaning against Richie's locker. 

"No can do, Eduardo. Not tonight." 

Eddie didn't look surprised to hear this; he was probably starting to suspect something by now. There was only one night a month when he turned him down. In hindsight, he probably should've done it more often to divert suspicion... Well, too late now. 

Eddie just scrunched up his nose in that pissy little way he did. "What're you doing?" 

Richie grinned and pinched his cheek. "Did I tell you that you're cute today?" 

Eddie swatted his hand away. "Richie," he groaned. 

"I just don't feel good!" he said dramatically, throwing his hands up in the air for effect. "Trust me. Plus, you're a doctor, you should be encouraging me to stay home." 

Eddie couldn't help the smile on his face. "Shut up, I'm not a doctor." he softened a little bit. "But yeah, if you're not feeling good, get some rest." 

"Thanks Spaghetti, I will." Richie said, kissing his head. "Now _please,_ give me some more expert medical advice." 

Eddie just laughed and rolled his eyes, but he did in fact jump on the opportunity to give Richie much more health tips than he needed. 

Richie sat there on his bed, wrapped up in a blanket, glaring at the moon. 

It wasn't quite time yet, but Richie was prepared. He was dressed down, he had his glasses on, and he didn't plan to move around too much--so he _probably_ wouldn't get hopelessly stuck in his blanket or rip up anymore sheets. He was prepared this time. Nothing would go wrong. 

He knew it was happening even before he noticed the fur growing over his skin. _This time's gonna be easy._ he thought, determined. _This time will be normal. I'll just go to bed, no problem--_

That really was his plan. Until his window started sliding open. 

Eddie was crawling in. "Hey, I brought you some stuff," he announced, sliding in his room and shutting the window behind him. "You want some cold medicine? I've got--" he stopped when he finally looked at Richie, dropping the bag in his hand. 

Richie just stared blankly at him; he knew his ears were out already, and the fur was just about all over him now. He couldn't think of anything good to say, so he just settled for "shit". 

Eddie couldn't either, apparently, because he just quietly muttered: "Yeah. Shit." 

Richie pulled his blanket over his head for the last bit of the transforming. It was a good thing he didn't have anything to say, because now he couldn't. 

Richie could feel Eddie hesitantly sit on the bed in front of him. Slowly, he pushed the blanket off Richie's head. Richie was completely in his wolf form now, there wasn't much he could say to explain himself now. 

Eddie looked all over him, but Richie couldn't read his expression at all. Just as he was seriously considering trying to make a run for it, _somewhere,_ a smile suddenly split across Eddie's face. Then, much to Richie's surprise, he was laughing--full on laughing. 

"You have glasses as a _wolf!?_ Rich, that's the stupidest thing I've ever seen!" 

Richie probably would've laughed if he could have; a startled laugh, sure, but a laugh nonetheless. This was not how he had expected this to go down. 

"Okay," Eddie said, a slight nervous edge to his voice, despite the apparent calmness on his face. "So I guess you're a wolf. That's... Huh. Well, if I had known _this_ was the issue, I would've brought something other than cold medicine," he said with a small laugh; he was definitely on edge, but he was taking it way better than he thought he would. 

Eddie lightly ran his hand over him, his smile falling. "Jesus, you're so knotted up." 

Richie couldn't help the whine that left him, and he immediately had to itch once Eddie's hand left him. 

Eddie frowned. "Alright, hold on." he said, rushing over to the bathroom. When he came back, he had detangler and a brush. 

Richie would've been protesting if he could have been, but Eddie just ignored Richie's flattened ears and made his way over. He sprayed detangler _generously,_ yet the moment he tried to brush out a knot, Richie yelped and scurried away from him. 

Eddie did not look amused. "Come on you big baby," he groaned. "It won't hurt _that_ bad if you just let me do it." he didn't wait for Richie to come back to him, he moved to him and got started again. 

Richie really did try to stay still, but this was so much _worse_ than the itchiness. Though Eddie clearly didn't intend to let him go this time, he just threw himself over him. "Stay still!" he shouted, continuing to brush him. 

Eventually, Richie realized it was pointless to tell Eddie no--which, he knew already, so why did he even try?--so he just sucked it up and stayed still. 

It took _so_ long. 

At least two hours just to get all the knots out. But Eddie was careful, and very nice with that detangler, and eventually they got there. Of course, Eddie wasn't done. He went on and on about how damaged his fur looked now, so he dragged Richie to the bathroom so he could shampoo and condition his fur.

And by dragged, Richie meant _dragged._

He fought it with everything he had, but Eddie was determined as hell. And the moment Eddie got him near the tub, he deadass just shoved him in. He wasn't playing around.

Richie _wished_ he could talk, he would have _so much_ to say. 

Yet, when it was all said and done, and Eddie was sitting there, blow drying Richie's fur, it suddenly was all worth it. He had never been so _relaxed_ on a full moon. 

"See? Wasn't so bad." he glanced at the clock, then back at Richie disapprovingly. "It only took us _all damn night._ Do you ever take care of yourself?"

Richie just stared back at him--Eddie lectured him even when he physically couldn't answer him. And oddly enough, Richie had never felt such fondness for him. 

Honestly, how lucky did Richie have to be? Eddie just showed up and completely accepted him, then took care of him. Even when Richie whined and made a whole ass scene, and literally _fought against_ him the entire time. But Eddie didn't give up on him, he never did. Richie was beyond grateful. 

Sure, Eddie was a little monster, but Richie was too. It was meant to be. 

Once Richie was dry, Eddie looked over him. "That's much better," he said, petting him lightly--the feeling was so soothing, Richie never wanted him to stop. He just wanted to curl up with him right there for the rest of the night. 

But irony was never wasted on Richie, and Eddie gave him a sad smile. "I should probably get going. If mom realizes I snuck out, she'll kill me." 

Richie just nuzzled his hand lightly. Eddie laughed softly, shaking his head. "This is... _so_ weird." 

Richie wished he could smile at him. 

Eddie collected his stupid little bag of cold medicine. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said, pausing in the window. "As a human, preferably." he added, that smug little grin on his face. 

Richie just watched him go, wishing he'd stay. 

He curled up on his bed. And for the first time since his full shifts, he was able to relax. He wasn't dreading the next time for once. He was _comfortable._

That was the first peaceful sleep he'd ever gotten under a full moon. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again with the wholesome, absolutely pointless wolf!Richie content
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy and sorry for the random update--I have no schedule for this fic, my freaking bad :')

Richie had expected that maybe Eddie would be more surprised about it with time. 

That maybe it was just shock or a sense of surrealism that made him handle it so well the first time--his boyfriend was a _werewolf_ , that was sort of a _huge_ deal. But as the next few weeks came and went, Eddie proved to be rather unphased about the whole thing. 

In fact, Eddie liked when Richie was a wolf. Richie usually only did it on full moons, but when Eddie had to study or wanted to read, he loved having Richie at his side--said it was like having the dog his mother never let him have. 

Richie wasn't sure if he should be offended by that or not, but when he was lazing around at Eddie's side while Eddie distractedly scratched his ears, he didn't really mind it at all. 

Not to mention, since his unwilling bath and brushing--his fur didn't hurt anymore. And Eddie was good about upkeep; he brushed Richie once a week, despite Richie's endless whining. 

So maybe he didn't mind being fully wolfed out now and then. 

They were having one of those particularly relaxing nights when Eddie suddenly stopped scratching Richie, making Richie turn to look at him. "Are you ever gonna tell the others about..." he motioned to Richie vaguely. " _This._ " 

Richie just let out something akin to a growl, dramatically rolling over onto his back. 

He had wondered that himself for awhile now. Now that Eddie knew, and he took it so well, it made him wonder if he should tell the other Losers--he'd feel more accepted, that's for sure. He already felt so much less like an outsider with just Eddie knowing and treating him like it was no big deal. 

But then he also risked the information getting out, or them turning him away. 

Again, he just grumbled deep in his chest in response--he didn't know. 

Eddie rolled his eyes, sliding his book aside. "Honestly, you're so pathetic sometimes." he said, lightly scratching at Richie's now exposed stomach. Richie involuntarily wagged his tail, making Eddie laugh. "You like that?" he teased, scratching him more, laughing at the way Richie twisted and wagged his tail--his laugh was so bubbly, all the other thoughts that were plaguing Richie were gone in an instant. 

He couldn't understand how Eddie put him at such ease. 

It was getting late, though, and Eddie knew he needed to head back before his mom noticed he had snuck out in the first place. 

Eddie draped a blanket over Richie like he'd done it a million times--because by now, he had. "Alright, turn back." 

Richie did just that; the blanket keeping him covered. He wrapped it around himself more comfortably as Eddie pushed up his window, slipping out. Once he had made it out, he turned back and smiled. "I'll see ya at school on Monday." 

"Oh please, I'll come sneak in sometime this weekend, I'm not waiting that long." Richie said with a grin, leaning out the window to kiss him goodnight. 

"Oh hold on, I got you something." Eddie said, rummaging around in his backpack for a moment before producing a tennis ball toy. He had _the most_ smug grin on his face as he squeezed it and it _squeaked._

"Oh, that's real funny." Richie deadpanned, as sarcastically as he possibly could. But he did accept it when Eddie handed it over--gag gift or not, it was still a gift. 

"I thought so." Eddie said proudly, kissing him briefly once more. "I'll see ya." he said before rushing off. 

Richie shook his head at the dog toy fondly. _What a brat._

"I'm never using this!" he called after Eddie. 

Richie used it a lot. 

It drove his parents absolutely crazy. He'd either go crashing through the house, chasing it and squeaking it as a wolf; or he'd just be sitting around, absently squeezing it in his hand like a stress ball. He didn't realize how often he did it until his dad started calling him out on it every single time. 

Richie wasn't even ashamed about it. He just couldn't wait until Eddie came over again so he could drive him mad with it--and wipe that smug little look off his face. 

He would've loved to have brought it with him when he did, indeed, sneak into Eddie's room that weekend as promised. But it would've gotten them caught so fast, and something told Richie that Ms. K would kill both Richie _and_ Eddie.

All Richie had done all weekend was visit Eddie and play with that stupid ball, yet somehow, he found some clarity.

He decided what he was going to do about the Losers. 

Come Monday, he and Eddie met up and walked together. 

"So I've decided what I'm going to do." Richie announced as the school came into view. Seeing it suddenly made him a bit nervous. "About the Losers." 

Eddie's face lit up. "Oh, that's great! What did you decide?" he asked sincerely. And somehow Richie knew that Eddie would fully support him, whether he decided to tell them or not. But he'd already made up his mind. 

"I think I'll tell them." he said. "They've put up with all my bullshit so far anyway, what's one more thing?" 

Eddie laughed, nudging him lightly. "That logic sounds pretty solid to me. Honestly? The wolf thing is not the most annoying thing about you." 

Richie grinned. "Shut up, Spaghetti, I didn't ask you." he paused, then glanced at him. "What is the most annoying thing about me?" 

"The mom jokes." Eddie said without a missing a beat. This had clearly been decided ahead of time.

Richie stared ahead and nodded. "Yep, I think that sounds about right." he smirked. "Just like--" 

"If you say anything about my mom, I'm breaking up with you." 

"I'll just stay quiet then." 

They had decided it would be best to get them all together and tell them after school. 

That way if they had questions, there'd be time to answer them. Or maybe just time to deal with _however_ they reacted. Richie had been much more confident about this beforehand. 

Now, they were all sitting around, waiting for the "big news" Richie had promised them. 

"Are we going to get on with it?" Stan grumbled. "Or is this just, like, some performance? Cause I'm starving."

"We should go get a m-milkshake!" Bill piped up excitedly. 

Oh God, he was already losing their attention--it was like herding cats. 

"Alright everyone stop thinking about your stomach for a minute--" Richie announced, managing to regain their attention for a few more minutes. "What I'm going to tell you is going to sound totally crazy, and you can choose to believe or not. But, uh, basically..." he glanced over at Eddie, who just smiled and nodded encouragingly. "... Wellp, fuck it: I'm a werewolf." 

Everyone was quiet for a moment. 

"A werewolf?" Bev asked for a moment. "Like a giant wolf? Full moons and all?" 

Richie just nodded. 

Everyone looked around each other for a moment. Richie was starting to think no one was going to say anything when Mike just shrugged. "Actually, I believe it." 

Richie blanched. That was not what he was expecting. 

"Excuse me, what?" 

"Yeah." he shrugged. "It would explain how Eddie's always covered in dog hair when I know damn well his mom would never let him have a pet." 

Eddie gasped. "I am not _covered_ in dog hair!" he protested, immediately beginning to fuss with his clothes. 

Ben laughed. "It would also make sense as to why Eddie also kinda smells like a dog lately. No offense." 

"I _am_ offended!" Eddie shouted. 

They ignored him. "Also, you're always gone on full moons, huh?" Bev wondered aloud. "I never thought much of it, but you always cancelled on full moons... Guess that makes sense." 

Bill looked around, wide-eyed. "Are you all c- _crazy!?_ Don't t-tell me you actually all believe this!" he turned to Richie, shaking his head. "There's n-no way that's true. Prove it." 

"I'm not proving it." Richie said casually. "To prove it, I'd have to strip. And I don't think anyone here wants that." he smirked and winked at Eddie. "Except Eds." 

"I don't want that either." Eddie said heartlessly. 

"Ouch, Spaghetti." Richie muttered, utterly wounded. 

"Yeah, I'm just going to take your word." Stan said, stretching. "Can we go get some food now?" 

Everyone started that way--Bill hesitantly following. "We're really o-over this now? Just like t-that?" 

Richie grinned and patted Bill's shoulder. "Accept it, Billiard." 

"This g-group is so weird..." 

Richie definitely felt more at ease now. 

He was pretty sure most of them were either just going along with a "joke", or in disbelief--like Bill--but he had _technically_ put it out there. They technically knew; he didn't have to hide it from them. 

And maybe he'd hang out with them all next full moon, just in case they were still unsure by then. 

But it really was touching. They weren't worried about it, they weren't weirded out, they weren't uncomfortable--Bill was hopelessly trying to get some proof, but even that was an excellent reaction. He definitely wasn't uncomfortable around Richie. Now he just would not give him any damn space or shut up for five seconds. 

They were all walking home together when the breeze kicked up a bit. 

Eddie pointed out the pollen floating on the air. "See that? My allergies are going to kill me." 

"I don't doubt that for one second," Bev said with a laugh. 

Richie felt a sneeze coming on. "Nope," he strained. "I'm the one who dies first--" he barely got the sentence out before sneezing hard. He sniffled and shook his head, almost not noticing everyone's shocked stares. "What...?" 

"Uh, Rich," Eddie said. "Your ears are out." 

Richie reached up, surprised to feel that his wolf ears were indeed out. "Woah," he laughed. "That was a good sneeze." 

Everyone was on him in a minute, practically squealing and losing it over Richie's ears--tugging at them like they could somehow be fake. Richie groaned. "You're all killing me..." he muttered, glancing over to where Bill was just staring. 

"You w-w-weren't lying?" he asked in shock, looking like he was going to faint. "That's amazing... I can't b-believe it." 

Mike laughed. "I'm going to take him home before he passes out." he said, grabbing Bill's shoulders and steering him the other way. Even as he was being walked off, he still stared at Richie the entire way, completely awestruck. 

"Well." Bev said, a grin on her face. "He got his proof, I guess."

"Good, now he'll shut up about it." Even as he said it, Richie couldn't help the smile on his face. 

Everyone headed home, but of course, when Richie walked Eddie home, they stood outside for a moment. 

Richie thought hey, maybe he'd get to kiss his boyfriend goodnight or something, but no. Eddie just wanted to see him do the partial shift again. "You only love me for my wolf stuff," Richie said as dramatically as possible, but he did as Eddie asked anyway. 

Eddie looked amazed. "You are _so_ right," he muttered admirably, lightly pulling at Richie's ears. His smile fell after a moment. "Wait, do I really smell like dog?"

Richie groaned. "Oh god, I'm never going to hear the end of this--I don't notice it." 

"Ah, the _dog_ doesn't notice the dog smell. Very reassuring." 

They laughed, and Richie just shook his head. " _Wolf._ " 

"Yeah, yeah," Eddie said smugly, _finally_ kissing him goodnight. He smiled at him--and it was suddenly so warm and genuine, Richie was pretty sure he felt his ears droop as his heart absolutely swelled. "Goodnight, Rich." 

"Night, Eds." he said quietly, watching him rush inside. 

Richie sighed like something right out of a bad romcom, then made his way stumbling home. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me @honbuunn on tumblr!   
> And the original, immensely talented creator of this AU is @Punkyiggy on insta and tumblr :)


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